Middle School

Welcome to the Middle School division of the International School of Dakar. Our middle school program is designed to enrich and support students as they make the transition from elementary school to high school. We are proud to be in our new, purpose-built middle and high school facility as of August 2012. Middle school students have made the fourth floor their home, and vantage affords them magnificent views of the Atlantic Ocean and the city of Dakar.

Between the ages of 10 and 14, children experience tremendous physical, social and cognitive growth. While we are first and foremost an academic institution, we take great care to help students reach their full potential as their minds, bodies and social circles expand. Our classes and programs are designed in such a way as to allow students to work cooperatively, to problem-solve, to apply new learning and to participate in a wide range of academic, artistic and athletic endeavors.

Middle School at ISD consists of Grades 6-8, and we have two sections at each grade level, with a maximum number of 40 students per grade and 20 students per class. In Grade 6, we ease the transition from elementary school to middle school by keeping students close in their advisory groups most of the day. Students have two core teachers – one for language arts and social studies and the other for math and science. In addition to these classes, students attend French classes every day, music and physical education twice a week and art once a week.

In Grades 7 and 8, students have eight different classes, with each class meeting for 85 minutes every other day. They have four classes one day and the other four classes the next day. Students have a different teacher for each class, yet each student is assigned an advisor, with whom they meet every day for 20 minutes.

In addition to their academic lives, ISD middle school students participate in after-school activities, athletics and service opportunities. The Middle School Student Council plans monthly social activities including dances and movie nights.

Each year, we take learning beyond the school walls, and all middle school students attend a grade-level Week Without Walls trip to a different region of Senegal. Students also have the opportunity to attend MathCounts trips and other athletic trips to international schools in West Africa. As you can see, our middle school is a busy and vibrant place. Please feel free to stop by for a visit, preview the grade level program guides on this website or contact us for more information on our school.